History of Fuji digital cameras?
FUJINON is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Co. The company was established in 1944 with the aim of expanding and enriching the optical equipment business of Fujifilm. Since then, we have made new progress in the field of optical machine technology by actively developing new products and expanding into new fields with our traditional optical technology at the core. Currently, we have a registered capital of 500 million yen and 1,500 employees. As the R&D center of the Fuji Photo Optical Group, we are committed to the development of future-oriented technologies. In addition, the products we manufacture and sell to group companies in Japan and overseas have earned the trust of the market for their high quality and performance. We are constantly striving for the development of technologies and products that are responsive to the ever-growing IT era. Each member of the Fujifilm Group contributes to society through creative work with a sense of freedom and open-mindedness, aiming for continuous technological innovation. Takeshi Higuchi, President and Representative Director Brief history of the company March, 1944 Fuji Photo Optical Co. August, 1948 Production of our first camera, the Fujika-6, begins. March, 1957 The lens division of the Onobara Plant of Fuji Film Corporation is acquired. Sep.1962 XEROX914 electronic photocopier domesticated in Japan. Mar.1965 Established Sano Fuji Koki Co., Ltd. (now Fujinon (Mito) Co., Ltd.) to strengthen the machining division. April, 1968 Established Mito Fuji Koki Co., Ltd. to strengthen the camera division [currently Fujinon (Mito) Co.] Apr.1971 Fujinon commercializes endoscopes and enters the medical equipment field. December 1973 Established a local subsidiary in New York City and founded FUJINON INC. March 1980 Established a local subsidiary in Düsseldorf, Germany and founded FUJINON (EUROPE) GmbH. October 1983 Established a subsidiary, 100% capitalized, Fuji Optical Machines (Okaya) Corporation (currently Fuji (Okaya) Co. Jan.1985 Started mass production of optical parts for CDs. May, 1985 Successful development of endoscopes announced at the Digestive Digestive Device Society (DDW) in the U.S. Mar.1991 Established FUJINON (SINGAPORE) PTY. LTD. as a local corporation in Singapore. Dec.1992 Established FUJINON AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD. in Australia. Jul.1993 Obtained ISO9001 certification. Mar. 1994 Celebrated 50th anniversary of establishment. Nov. 1994 Obtained ISO9001 certification and incorporated a local corporation in China, Tianjin Fuji Optical Machinery Company Limited [now Fujinon (Tianjin) Optical Co.] September, 1995 Established Fuji Optical Machines (Hong Kong) Co. [now Fujinon (Hong Kong) Limited] Oct. 1996 Awarded the Deming Prize for outstanding achievements in quality control activities. Oct.1996 Awarded the Emmy Prize for highly evaluated technology in the development of TV lenses. Oct.1996 Incorporated FUJI PHOTO OPTICAL (MALAYSIA) SDN.BHD in Malaysia. Jan.1998 ISO14001 certified. May.1999 Received the Japan Film & Television Technology Association Award for the development of a high-definition color camera lens. Jan.2001 Incorporated in China as a local corporation, Shanghai Fujinon Medical Devices Co. September 2001 Fujinon (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. is incorporated in China. March 2002 Established Fujinon Toshiba ES System Co. July, 2004 Fujinon (Shanghai) International Trading Co. October 2004 Changed the company name to Fujinon Corporation.